So, I volunteer at a care home, Horfield Lodge, on Kellaway Avenue run by the MHA (Methodist Charity and Housing Association). In the home they have "76 places, 29 for dementia, 25 for nursing care and 22 one or two bedroom apartments with 24 hour support" (http://www.mha.org.uk/CH73.aspx).
I try to go in every Friday afternoon to help out the nursing staff with meals or any odd jobs that need doing i.e. a tea round to the residents. Sometimes, when it isn't so cold or wet I will take one of the residents out for a walk to get some fresh air, because otherwise they are just sitting indoors for days on end.
You might be wondering why I do it or why the other volunteers go to the home every week to see the residents, but the fact is that it's nice to get them to smile or to have a laugh because I know that they don't get that anymore. Some don't have any family to see them so it's up to the volunteers to go and see them and talk to them for half an hour or more.
When I get home on a Friday from sixth form I find it hard to go, because it doesn't appeal to go to the care home and its extremely difficult get motivated, but then I think that if I ever get to that age I would wish that someone would come in to talk to me or took time out of their day to pour a tea, it's not that the nursing staff don't care about the residents, but nursing is a job for money, and they have so much other work to get on with that it's a help for them that people come in to occupy the time of the residents, because it must be very stressful to work in a care home on the shifts that they work. So all in all once I am there and getting on with it, I thoroughly enjoy helping out and brings me a sense of relief to see them happy.
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